Just Stop Oil Call It Quits on Chaos
By Hope Jones
‘WE ARE HANGING UP THE HI VIS’ Just Stop Oil graphic.
Image courtesy of Just Stop Oil.
Climate activist group Just Stop Oil has agreed to end their series of destructive protests and will be holding their final demonstration on 26 April outside the UK parliament building. This shift follows the UK Government’s agreement to transform the North Sea into a renewable energy hub and rework its windfall tax system.
Further, the current Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Edward Miliband, has pledged to crack down on the number of oil and gas licences given out in the UK and has implemented his ‘New Zero Plan’—two achievements Just Stop Oil have credited themselves for. Although there is no clear evidence that the Just Stop Oil campaign has been effective, findings by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) show that within the last year, the net-zero economy grew three times faster than the overall economy, having to increase its workforce by 10% to deal with the developing sector.
However, the Government still refuses to acknowledge a completely oil- and gas-free future, with a spokesman for the UK Government stating on 27 March, that ‘when it comes to oil and gas…it has a future for decades to come in our energy mix.’
Also on 27 March, Just Stop Oil released a statement on their website and their X account stating that they were ‘hanging up the hi-vis’, referring to the orange vests emblematic of the organisation. Campaign spokesperson Hannah Hunt also delivered this announcement in-person whilst standing outside the gates of London’s Downing Street.
Just Stop Oil’s shift to a more political and legal approach to campaigning also coincides with the UK Government’s introduction of harsher laws against disruptive forms of protest.
Hunt made bold claims that the organisation's visible protests have ensured that the equivalent of 4.4 billion barrels of oil remains untouched under the ground. However, this achievement has come at the expense of the arts and culture scene.
Climate activists throw tomato soup on Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers, 1888, The National Gallery, London.
Image courtesy of Just Stop Oil.
The first notable act of protest via vandalism was performed in October of 2022, wherein two eco-activists threw a can of tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, 1888, estimated to be worth £74 million. The performance cost London’s National Gallery over £10,000 to fix. In 2023, two activists entered the National Gallery again, striking Diego Velázquez’s The Toilet of Venus (‘The Rokeby Venus’), 1647-1651, with hammers, shattering the protective glass. This artwork is popular amongst political activists, first attacked with a meat cleaver by suffragette Mary Richardson in 1914. Recent events in 2024 saw Stone Henge being attacked with orange powder, synonymous with Just Stop Oil. Despite the powder being easily removed, the damage to the lichen’s ecosystem was not so easily remedied.
However, these destructive acts have not gone without consequences. Prison sentences for the activists span 20 months to five years, although in some cases, they were awarded bail. Recently, there have been appeals to shorten the sentences of convicted activists, with the organisation's founder, Roger Hallam, having his sentence reduced on 7 March, following an appeal.
The organisation’s most recent press release refers to a ‘new resistance’, closing with the statement, ‘see you on the streets’, suggesting the idea of future rebellion. What this will entail has not been disclosed. However, we can expect it to be a step away from the destruction of artistic and cultural material, which has been the collateral damage of Just Stop Oil’s protests for the last three years.
Bibliography
Bishop, Holly. “Just Stop Oil Finally Vows to End Protests and Publicity Stunts as Eco Activists Confirm Plans for Final Act of Chaos.” GB News, March 27, 2025. https://www.gbnews.com/news/just-stop-oil-end-protests-publicity-stunts-final-demonstration.
Just Stop Oil. “Just Stop Oil Response to the UK Government.” Press release, March 28, 2025. https://juststopoil.org/2025/03/28/just-stop-oil-response-to-the-uk-government/.
Villa, Angelica. “Just Stop Oil to End Protests as UK Adopts New Climate Policy.” ARTnews, March 28, 2025. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/just-stop-oil-ends-protests-uk-new-climate-policy-1234737172/.